One Spring break a couple of years ago I decided to introduce my son to some of his America. We loaded up my van; a friend of his accompanied us. As we headed down highway 70 I was mightily entertained by the emerging teenage banter that I was witness to. It amused me and made me nostalgic

at the same time. I wanted to instill some life lessons. We made a stop in Pennsylvania at a couple of close friend’s house who happened to be theatre owners. I shared a bed with my son while his friend slept in the another room. In between getting pummeled by gangly legs and arms I charted my lesson of the next day. I wanted his friend to see the Atlantic and I wanted the boys to experience first hand the mystical and mysterious New Jersey Diner.

I had long known there was a singular truth in the East Coast Diner, a distilled concentrate of America, free enterprise and innovative wrapped in the pretense of a faux railway dining care.

A diner is a defining and quintessential American experience. A parade of booths juxtaposed against a Formica counter and a torrent of strong black coffee. Themed glitzy restaurants and fast food chains from Beijing to Budapest attempt to replicate this chrome-flashed experience, and diner fare such as home fries and fluffy pancakes and fail miserably in the attempt.

The first diner opened its doors in 1872 in of all places, Providence, Rhode Island , initially called a night lunch wagon. Its mixture of open-all-hours eating and cheap, homemade food proved a hit, and the formula has been repeated ever since. The British have their pubs, the French their Bistros….and The American have their Diners. No election cycle is complete with some candidate posing in an diner attempting to make themselves appear as common folk.

There is a sense of democracy of having to perch on red covered stools trimmed with audacious chrome on which you eat your breakfast…eating at a diner is an immediate equalizer. Princes and paupers sit next to each other, devouring eggs. From films such as Pulp Fiction,When Harry Met

Sally and of course Diner as well as books by John Updike, Jack Kerouac and Vladimir Nabokov, and the paintings of Norman Rockwell and Edward Hopper, the diner plays a pivotal role

Director Barry Levinson’s talking about his Oscar-nominated film Diner, which was based on his diner experiences in Baltimore in the late 1950’s. “Say you were on a date and happened to ride by the diner – you’d see whose cars were there and you’d drop off your date and head inside because it would be a much more interesting night,”.

Back to our odyssey, we were careening down Highway 37 heading to Pelican Island, by Toms River in Ocean County to dip our toes in the frigid April Atlantic. We progressed and we took note of the diners we passed and in democratic fashion one where my charges could have their first taste of diner culture. The Atlantic was reached, toes were dipped, young boys yowled at the temperature of the water and then mercifully were immediately distracted by the right of a woman walking her pet pot belly pig. We got into the van and made our way to the diner.

We walked into the diner, we were immediately seated and was greeted by a voluminous menu. The boy’s eye exploded as they scanned the huge amount of choices the diner made available to them. Like all young lads their eyes immediately raced to the burger section. I halted this folly by describing that the true Holy Grail of diner fare was the sacred clubhouse sandwich, I could not dissuade my son’s friend but my son who like his father is a bit more brave in the gastronomy department took the plunge. They ordered. The diner did not disappoint, mound of steaming hot sandwiches coupled with golden brown and almost hypnotic fries. Ketchup was positioned off to the side and the sacrament that is eating a diner meal commenced. As the last bite was consumed, and the plats vanquished a sense of peace and

realization waft over these young lads. They tasted something that could not be replicated in any fast food chain, a genuine and lasting experience. They bit into an American tradition and they loved it. As a father and as a shepherd of young men I felt a sense of pride and a sense that in many ways I was passing a torch. With our mission accomplished we turned the van around and heading for home.

In these days of deeply processed food, over sampled music and goopy effects laden I wanted my son to start learning what it was to have genuine and truthful experiences. The diner provided that. Every time I am on the East Coast I search out these shrines of Americana and pure free enterprise

I was on the East Coast again this week for a series of meetings regarding repertory theatres. As I parked in Tenafly New Jersey I spied The Tenafly Theatres, operated by Bowtie Cinemas sitting on the town square. Originally a 850 seat house, in the late 80’s it was split into a 4 screen house. It’s facade was still intact but it’s guts had been modified in order to satisfy a perceived trend. In doing so it lost it’s soul ….its sense of the genuine.

Millennial customer experience begins with authenticity. Millennials often feel connected to brands that align with their own values and respect brands that are consistent in their image and outreach. For example, if a brand identifies as eco-friendly, its products, services, and overall actions should always reflect that. Furthermore, millennials seek a personalized, authentic tone in customer service using language they understand. Reaching out to them for feedback, including them in product development, and engaging them on social media are all essential to the millennial customer experience.

Because of the perception by Millennials that movie going is not genuine, the industry lost 15% of them as customers last year.

Millennials make up a trillion-dollar demographic, according to a 2014 study by Accenture. Their estimated spending is close to $600 billion, and they possess more than 20 percent of consumer discretionary purchase power. Right now they represent 87 million consumers in America. The Millennials are a consumer force to be reckoned with. Industry is trying desperately to connect with this age group. To millennials, you don’t have to be amazing. You do not have much glitz or neon butt you do have to be authentic.

Another word for authentic is genuine.

In right now where consumer trust has plummeted across all industries,honesty and authenticity have emerged as the attributes that matter most to the Millennial. Consumers, more than ever before, are holding brands to a higher standard. They are looking for more than price, quality and convenience. Sure, they want value for their money. But they also want values and a sense of genuineness.

An international survey by PR agency Cohn & Wolfe found that 87% of global consumers felt that it was important for brands to “act with integrity at all times,” ranking authenticity above innovation (72%) and product uniqueness (71%) when asked what they valued most in a brand.

Hyper-connected, socially-informed and knowledge-driven, Millennials are deeply suspicious of being sold to. When you walk into a Regal and AMC you are being sold, and it ain’t working. Millennials are relentless and obsessive in their quest for authenticity. If theatres want to attract this dominating demographic they must start going back to the basics. I fear that there is really no going back from the majors, but I see great hope for the independent theatres. The Motion Picture Exhibition industry must if it is to survive, must re-imagine itself as a entertainment diner….oh and ya…maybe get rid of the chicken fingers and the overstuffed Mexican loungers.

….The millennials are on to you.